DHC Elan Sprint For Sale

[trw99]

Mr Clugston has a new listing - DHC Sprint in Gold Leaf colours for sale: http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/3465948.htm

At ?37k here is another Sprint getting overpriced in the current climate. Whilst it appears to be a good car, it's not in the top rank. It actually left the production line in June 1972 but was not registered until March 1973. It was thus probably one of the Sprints that sat around, in it's original Colorado Orange hue, at Hethel for several months waiting for a dealer order. I guess it was the sight of these Sprints parked up at the factory new car park that got Lotus to decide to stop making the Sprint at the July Board meeting, coinciding with the oncoming VAT intro and increased safety legislation. It then took another eight months for production to run out.

Well, let's see how long this one takes to sell! This one's still waiting for a buyer: elan-f14/sprint-for-sale-and-will-for-ages-t22672.html & http://www.lesters.info/index.php?optio ... 4&Itemid=1

Tim

[alan.barker]

Tim said "At ?37k here is another Sprint getting overpriced in the current climate."
I like your way of thinking Tim. You're right, overpriced. I hope Sprints can stay at realistic prices, that way normal people can buy them and drive them. That's what an Elan Sprint is all about , driving and having fun Not to be used as an investment and kept in cottonwool
Well i needed to get that off my chest.
Alan B

[Mazzini]

Well said the pair of you.

[terryp]

I think Paul has just opened a branch in the US!

http://auto-europe-sales.ebizautos.com/ ... id=8014023

Terry
PS Still can't quite stop looking for cars, as its not here yet

[trw99]

That should be a S4 with that VIN - wrong body, wrong engine!

Tim

[holywood3645]

The yellow car has a BDA installed. The motor alone is worth in the region of 15K to 25K. I know we all would like a perfect elan for 15K but you have to be realistic. The price to restore = (n) number of hours to restore plus parts and paint. That should bring you close to a realistic price for a restored car. Gaud knows the number of hours to restore an elan is more than a metal car. So say you start with a car that needs restored tha costs you $8k to $10K and the body needs work, and painted and its pretty much mechanical sound but needs freshened, shocks brakes some electrical attention.

Hours for body prep 650/hrs
body work supplies $350
Good Paint job (with you doing bodywork prep) $1800
Paint $300
Mechanical parts $2500
Hours for mechanical rebuild 350/hrs



Basically your looking at $5000 plus 1000 hours of labor
How much is your time worth??? ...say 12/hr thats $12000 !!!!

Orginal car $10000
Labor $12000 @ 12/hr
Parts & paint $ 5000

*********$27000 ******


Who can restore an elan in 1000 hrs

If it were an Alfa, Mk1 RS1600, Mk1 twin cam, Lotus cortina, Prosche 911 or 356, 2002 turbo, AH3000 or any other well restored collectable car of the era etc, the price would be easily $65000, which really only reflects the time an material to put a 40year old car in decent contition.

Time to get real, the costs to restore and prices of parts and materials are not cheap. And who really who would do this type of work work for 12/hr.

Thats my 2 cents worth anyway (thats 20 cents worth at today's prices)

James

[Elanintheforest]

$12 an hour....that's the rate from about 1980 in the UK. We pay around ?35 to ?50 an hour for anyone with their own business...i.e., not doing the work as a part time fill-in.

It can be a lot worse in Europe, with bodyshops charging up to ?120 an hour in Norway.....a lot of Norwegian restorations used to be completed in the UK, now often in Poland and Czech Republic.

At $12 an hour it would be worth shipping Elans over to the USA to restore!

Mark

[Mazzini]

Tim I suppose you've already spotted this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOTUS-ELAN-FH ... 3607557164

[holywood3645]

Thats my point. I hope it wasn't missed
If you want a buy a restored elan for 27K you need to find somone that has worked for $12 dollars performing the restoration. The numbers may have worked in the 80's but not today. And as you point out, that just aint going to happen..... Car dealer rates in the US in ther region of ...~ $124/hour

If you got some one to work for $75/hr you would be looking at $75,000 (assuming 1000hrs) in labor plus the car, and parts. that put the cars value at 90,000 USD I the region of 49,000 UK pounds. So im not shocked to see these prices for the cars.

Or maybe these cars just arnt worth restoring properly.

I dont think it will be long before we see a $100,000 car offered..

Good luck, finding somone in the USA to do your restoration for $12/hr

James

[trw99]

Oh no, I hadn't. But what a great car. It's been restored by Dominic LeFanu, who Susan Miller reckons to be an excellent restorer and she has helped him 'get into' Elans. I wonder what it was like when it first arrived at his workshop?

1 owner and less than 15k miles with all the right bits. Only fault I could see from a quick look were very minor - rear gold decals too high and lack of rimbellishers, both easily fixed. I would also want modern tyres thrown in at that price and keep the originals for Sunday best. No doubt that he is asking top ?dealer for it but it does look like he has made a very good go at it.

Tim

[types26/36]

Only fault I could see from a quick look were very minor - rear gold decals too high and lack of rimbellishers
Tim

.......and no boot lid seal also engine compartment appears not to be black

[Elanintheforest]

And the carpets are not loop pile Tim....a restoration like this deserves to be right!

No James, I hadn't missed the point, but the relationship between restoration costs and the cars value is not understood by all. With professional standard restorations at ?50k plus over here, plus a donor car of say ?10k, you'd be lucky to see half of that back in the current market...which is exactly how things should be IMHO. It means that folks mainly get their cars restored for the right reasons and enjoy them, rather than adding another item into a financial portfolio.

I imagine though that there are a lot of beautifully restored cars langushing in garages that have only been driven a few miles a year, and it's those cars that will make a great buy to fettle back to perfection when the owners finally get bored.

Mark

[512BB]

As Mr Wilkes has pointed out, the rear stripe looks awful, I would want that correcting. Rear view mirror does not look correct from where I am sitting, but....... a red top solenoid, quite a rarity.

We really shouldn't pick these cars to pieces you know, this one, from the pics, looks swell.

Leslie

[trw99]

I have spoken to Dominic and we have discussed the history of this car. He has put a lot of work into it, especially the bodywork and paint. He has a full time lady running his paint shop and Paul Newman, who used to be Peter Day's paint man, working part time for him.

Dominic told me he decided to paint the engine compartment as he has because he felt Lotus didn't for money saving reasons; he is of course quite happy to paint it black as original if that is how the new owner wants it. The boot seal rubber that is rolled up in the boot in the photo, is a little too tall and so he is trying to source a lower seal to ensure the boot lid closes to the correct height. He has a choice of rimbellishers for the car.

Tim

[elanfan1]

And the carpets are not loop pile Tim....a restoration like this deserves to be right!
Mark

I'm sure Tim will correct me if I'm wrong but I understood the late Sprints did not have loop pile carpets.

Anyway - Dominic if you are reading - Well Done! What a fantastic job you've done it is a credit to your skills and a great advertisment for further work. Yes there are some minor items that aren't correct but none that are going to cost a fortune or difficult to put right. Look forward to seeing your next one!